Garment and moistureproof cover means



Nov. 1, 1938. NA 2,134,977

GARMENT AND MOISTUREPROOF COVER MEANS Filed July 15, 1937 Patented Nov. 1, 1938 .umnzn Tm-ms R ENT MEANS John R. Lank enau, Brool rline; Mass-7 Application July 15, 1937, s riai'ubq jsa'z'ii 1 Claim. (01. mas-e84) My present invention'relates' to garments, parthe diaper "and like type, and to cover means therefor of rubher or like composition including novel securing 5 or attaching features. Among its main objectsareto provide a simplified and otherwise imticularly' infants. undergarments of proved garment of the class described, and which is adapted to serve as a combined diaper and moisture-proof protector, the latter having the 0 similar purpose as therubber pant, and to supply such protectorelement that may readily be as}, ,1 sembled with or removed from a diaper or other pant-like garment, as required. As to all com-[f mon subject matter this application is a continuation in part of my copending application Serial No, 143,767,111ed May 20,1937;

In the drawing illustrating byway of example I one embodiment of the invention,

in flat position, outside uppermost;

Fig. '2 shows the assembly of adjusted position for wear; and

rubber orlike'composition.

Referring now more particularly to the draw 7 ing, and first toFigspl and 2, the combination garment as there illustrated comprises a fabric element or diaper proper, in this inst'anceof a general form resembling that of h an hourglass.

Said elementincludes a rear section 20, seenat the lower portion of Fig. Land a connected front section 22, each having an upper, waist-or band portion 24 and 26 respectively and an inter-; mediate connecting or leg portion tapering oppositely toward each other and joining at their narrower parts, providing reentrant formations 40 at the sides of the garment adapted to form'leg openings in the wearlngposition of the garment as illustrated in Fig. 2'. This infants or diaper type-garment may be 'the same as that more fullydescribed andi'claimed in my copending application above identified. Similarly as in said copending application the upper or waist portions 24 and 26 of the rear and frontsections20, 22 are provided with means for securing them together in wearing position, such means being of the button type; one of the sections carrying the button element and the otherhav ing cooperating buttonhole-formations. In the illustrated example the upper part 26 of the front section 22 has at .each side portion a series of elongated eyelets 21 for receiving at variable posi- Fig'. 1 isa plan view of one form of diaper hav ing a cover or'protector applied thereto in accord-; 'ance with the invention, the assembly being shown Fig. 1 as in, one;

Fig. 3 is a greatlyenlarged view of one attache; ing formation for'the cover element ofthin sheet confine the leg tionsthe novel button-"carrying" or fastener device of said copending application oneofrwhich is indicated at 30 at the, upper. right portion of Fig.1. Y

Such fastening device comprises a strip of soft. flexible fabric material adapted to be looped through anyselected pair of the eyelets 21.. ,t This,

r strip has a button 3| adjacent one'end portion andoneor morebuttonholes spaced lengthwise of the strip from the button, whereby thestrip may be buttoneclupon itself, to anchor the button detachably inoperative position on the garment," for reception in abuttonhole formation of the other maingarment section, such as one of those indicatedat '33 at thelower'leftportion of Fig. 1. V,

A plurality of such 'buttonhole formations' 33 are provided at each side of the particular section, herein the rear. section 20', anyone of which is purposes of adjustment, all as more fully explanned in my said copending application. The eyelets or buttonhole formationsfl for removably' receiving the button attaching strips ,30, ,which' latter desirably extend transversely of the garment, are preferably disposed with their longi capable of receiving thesecuring button St at. the'corresponding side of the, garment, for the tudinal axes vertical, while the series.v of buttonhole formations 33in the other section desirably have their major axes horizontal or transverse of the garment, in the direction". of themajor strains.

Additional means may e. provided for securing together", the leg portions oflthegarment at the corresponding sides, also with'wide latitude for, adjustment. As in said copending application,

said means as here shown comprises a pair of I, securing-ties o'rgtapes 35', 35 stitched at one 01 their ends upon the outer face, of the front section 22. at the opposite sidesof its, vertical center line. Similar ties 36,36 are provided on the other or rea'r section. at each side of the l garment there is a pairof ties '35 and 3 6, one on face, I pro- Figs. 1 and 2 that such cover orprotector, illustrated as a whole by the numeral 40, is shown broken away at the upper right and lower left corner .portions in Fig. 1, and also that the tie means above described extend outwardly through apertures provided in the cover element at appropriate locations, as will be later described herein.

Referring now more particularly to the cover means 40, the latter comprises a single sheet element of thin light-weight, flexible, moistureproof material, generally rubber or a rubber com- 4 position such for example as heretofore employed in the formation of infants rubber pants having a circumferentially continuous waist portion. Such material desirably is of, a thickness comparable to and preferably not substantially exceeding that of ordinary paper. The sheet as a whole is of a shape and size to conform to and cover the major portion of the particular diaper,

and as'herein illustrated is of the full size and 4 same shape as the latter, to overlie its entire area. This thin rubber protecting element 40 is finished along its entire periphery with a bead like edging 4| which may be formed by folding over and uniting the extreme outer edge in' the manner of a fine tube or hem. of the rubber material. g

At the portion of the cover 40 overlying the front diaper section 22, the section which in the illustrated example carries the detachablebutton' elements 30, 3|, the coveris'provided withat taching formations for the passage of the buttons 3|, a series of three such formations 42 being seen at the upper left portion in Fig. 1, the

central formation being coveredby the button 3| extending through it on theunderlying diaper element. In the particular example shown the two series of button-attaching eyelets or buttonholes 21, at the two sides of the waist'portion of the front section 22,each include four such formations. The button carrier for each series may be secured in the pair of eyelets at the left of the series, or'in the central pair as illustrated v in Fig; "1, or in the right hand pair, making in this case three ,different positions of. adjustable attachment for the button. Accordingly the but ton receiving apertures 42 in the cover element 40 are three in number, in each series, one for each adjusted position of the corresponding button on the diaper. 1

Similarly, on the other section of the cover ele-' ment, I provide at each side a series of button receiving formations 43, herein three in number in each series, corresponding to'the number of buttonholes 33 at each side. The apertures for the passage of the'securing ties .35 and 36 are located at the appropriate points adjacent the inner ends of the ties, as indicated at 44, 44 ,and 45, 45. The apertures in the cover element 40 as here referred to are of a general elongated shape and are arranged tobe Parallel with the corresponding underlying formations of the diaper, or, in the case of the tape passages, to extend in the direction of the-width of the tapes, it being 'noted that the front tapes 35 are attached to the diaper with their width extending transversely of the latter, while the rear tapes 38 are attached at right angles to such position. The passages 45 in the rear section of the cover element accordingly extend vertically rather than horizontally as in the case of the front apertures 44. r

Each individual aperture or receiving formation in the cover element 40 preferably is of the novel construction which I will now describe, with reference more particularly to Fig. 3. As previously indicated the rubber or rubber composition material of the cover element is of general paper thinness and hence is liable totear if perforated at any point, in the absence of some provision to the contrary. To provide attaching apertures in connection with which this tendency is overcome, in a simple and inexpensive manner, with avoidance of special reinforcements and additional expensive vulcanizing operations,

stamped, died, or otherwise formed in a,single.

operation,'it being noted that the intermediate portion 50 ismore'than a mere slit, a certain amount of materialbeing bodily removed. The lateral extent of the material removed in any case, however, is substantially less than the diameter of the terminal portions 5|,.so that be tween thelatter there are provided'opposed shal- I I low fiaps or tab like members 53, 53 carried by the main'body of the' cover sheet itself. 4 The over-all length of each such aperturefrom the outer end of one terminal portion, to thecor responding end of the other one desirably is somewhat less than the diameter of a button intended to be passed through the aperture, so. that gen erally the aperture is completely covered'by ,the

button, as seen at the upper left in Fig. 1. After a button hasbeenpassed'throughone of such apertures the two opposed flaps 53, 53 which extend throughout the majorlength of the apert-.

ture are adapted, to engage inwardly against the threads orother attaching means of thebutton, substantially closing the aperture as well as tend; ing to hold the cover element in position relative to the button and the underlying garment.

The operation of the non-tear attaching means or formations provided'in the thin rubber cover element inaccordance with my invention will readily be' understoodv in connection with the illustration in Fig. 3. As previously noted a mere 4 cut or slit madein the material such as referred to will quickly tear under stretchin whether thestretching is lengthwise or crosswise the slit, and I I particularly inthe latter case. But byreason of the slotted construction, with "the removal of material, generally to a width of the order of -to /3 ofan inch depending upon the desired total size for the aperture and that of the cooper.- ating button or other attaching means, and due to theenlarged circular terminal; portions, the

strains are distributed over a substantial area adjacent the aperture.

Instead of a single line of'strainicoincldentwith; .a slit, strains tending to stretch the/rubber.

lengthwise of the aperture are-directed along,

spaced lines, at'two sidesof the aperture and are distributed about the periphery of the terminal.

enlargements 5|, 5|,the latter assuming the shape, under such'longitudinal strains, as indii cated by the dotted lines at 5|, 5|, Fig. 3. In this instance it is noted that the facing edges of the tab members 53 are drawn inwardly toward each other. If the stretching is carried beyond the point indicated at 5| said tabs further approach or overlap each other, if no button is present to prevent. By reason of the disclosed aperture construction, longitudinal strains and stretching actions of any degree likely to occur in normal use of the cover element. are withstood without tearing, and without special reinforcement in the region-of the aperture, far beyond any stretching action possible, for example, with a mere slit, which promptly tears, generally cross-' wise, at the slot ends.

Likewise, in the direction transversely of the aperturing formation, the lines of pull are again distributed throughout the entire periphery of the terminal formations. If the rubber material is engaged near the two sides of the aperture and pulled outwardly in opposite directions the aperture assumes a shape such as represented by the dotted lines at 5l 5|. The effect in general is to open out the terminal enlargements laterally, distributing the strains along their entire edges, in contrast to concentratingthem at a single point such as at each end of a slot.

In actual practice it has been found that thin rubber or like composition cover elements in accordance with my invention will stand use and manipulation, including daily attaching and dis-,

It will be understocd that the cover elementequipped with the attaching formations in accordance with my invention may be variously shaped and dimensioned, for use with diapers or other garments of various types, the apertures being provided at appropriate points.- Merely as one further example, the cover or protector element is equally useful with a diaper ofgeneral triangular or three-pointed construction such as illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 of my said copending r application, apertures being provided in the cover at corresponding points as therein illustrated for the passage of thesingle securing button and for the front and rear tie means.

In combination with diapers or other garments otherwise shaped, the apertures in the thin rubber cover element will be located appropriately for the passage of" the securing or attaching means in the particular instance.

My invention is not limited to the particular embodiment thereof illustrated and described herein, and I set forth its scope in my following claim:

In a garment of the diaper type, in combination, a fabric element having front and rear sections each including an upper portion and a connecting leg portion, button means at the upper portion of one section engageable with buttonhole formations on the upper portion of the other section, for securingthem together in wearing position, a moisture-proof cover means overlying said fabric element, said means comprising a sheet of thin rubber material of a size and shape to cover substantially the entire area of said fabric element, and means for retaining said elements in position relative to each other, including one or more buttons and cooperating buttonholes on the fabric element, and button-receiving aperture formations in said thin rubber coverelement adjacent each such button and buttonhole,

for the passage'of the corresponding button, each such formation in said thin rubber element comprising a slot of a length approximating the diameterof the button to be received, said slot merging at each end into a substantially circular terminal portion symmetrically disposed relative to the longitudinal axis of the slot and of a diameter exceeding the width of the latter.

JOHN R. LANKENAU. 

